Treacherous Words
by Iced Perfection
Summary: [Rewrite] The new teacher at Hogwarts is hiding something, no doubt about it. But where has he seen her? Edward's search for the Philosopher's Stone has lead him to Hogwarts and to another mystery. Is she really related to the homunculi? If so, how?
1. Dark Magic

So I'm rewriting Eternal Silence, finally. I hope you like it! Suggestions always welcome.

**One: Dark Magic**

"Is this compartment taken?"

Harry peeked into the last compartment on the Hogwarts Express. To him, it seemed like the population had grown. Or maybe there were less people that actually liked him.

A girl in normal clothing was sleeping with her feet pulled into her chest. She had silver hair, a bit odd, but it didn't bother Harry.

"We can crash in here, you guys. There's someone in here, but I don't think she'll mind. She doesn't look like a Slytherin."

"She looks like one of those Veela, Harry. I'd rather sit with Loony Lovegood than with a Veela." Ron shuddered at the memory of Fleur as he sat down.

"How do you know she's a Veela, Ron? It might be dyed. You should give people chances more often. Remember when we first met?" Hermione said.

"I'm not a Veela. I don't know what they are or why I look like one. Frankly, I don't even know who you all are."

Ed, on "business" from Amestris, had been standing in the door and was startled by the girl – supposedly sleeping – as she spoke, stretching her arms and unfolding her legs from the seat. She was barefoot. Her feet quickly disappeared under her dress, hidden in the many folds of the green material.

An light, airy laugh came from her as the others took their treats from the trolley and Ed finally managed to sit down.

"What's the deal with that?"

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," started Ron, "But who _are_ you?"

"I'm Aileen Kita. I'm the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher."

Everyone stared at her.

"You're a teacher? But…you don't look much older than us," Hermione said, confusion in her voice.

"I am. I might not look it, but I'm twenty-two. I got my teacher's license this summer." She gave a smile, a strange one that sparked a memory in Ed's mind, though it was just out of his reach. It seemed familiar, in a twisted way, but he couldn't place it. She gave a little bit of her background: she was from the countryside in another country, raised there and went to the city to work for a bit, but returned home before accepting a spot teaching at Hogwarts. A run-in with a dark wizard had fueled her desire to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, she said.

After everyone finished their snacks, Aileen fell asleep again while the others discussed hopes that Snape had been fired, Quidditch speculations, and various subjects (with some awkward silences) for the duration of the trip. When the train finally arrived at the station near Hogwarts, it was nearly dark, the sky reddish, dusky.

"Should we wake her up?" Hermione asked as the trio stood up to exit the train.

"She's a teacher, right?" Ron said. "She should be fine."

"I'll be okay. Go on ahead," Aileen said, opening one eye. The four shrugged and filed out, anxious for their new year to begin.

* * *

The feast had begun at last. The Sorting had taken forever to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Ed didn't really care. 

After about a half an hour of eating, a strange woman stepped forward from the staff table.

"Hem, hem…" she said, gathering everyone's attention. "I am Dolores Umbridge, and I will be evaluating the school this year as High Inquisitor. The Ministry has sent me to—"

The doors to the Main Hall suddenly flew open, revealing a figure draped with a silver cloak.

"Who are you?" Umbridge demanded, taking a step forward.

There was no answer. Instead, the form walked forward towards the staff table.

"Where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—that Aileen?" Hermione whispered.

"Oh. Yeah. That's her," Ed muttered, his mouth full of food.

"Indeed, Mr. Elric is correct. I am Aileen Kita, here to take the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Aileen's voice echoed outwards to the walls. "The school of Hogwarts has been left without the knowledge of the true Dark Arts. Until now, that is."

Drawing an arm out from under the cloak, a light gathered around her hand, forming in the shape of a staff. It was black and made of iron, a small cross-like figure at the top with a circle around the intersection, although it had no relation at all to Christianity as far as Aileen was concerned.

"I have come to teach you all the true essence of Dark Magic."

Touching the tip of the staff to the ground, black lightning issued from the end, spreading around the floor and up the walls.

"What is the meaning of this, hiring a dark witch to teach such a delicate matter? I should have taken the position, but you denied me of it! Dumbledore! The Ministry shall know of this!" Umbridge said, scribbling furiously on her clipboard in front of her.

A spark of fire suddenly took a hold of the clipboard, reducing it to ashes in mere seconds. Looking up, Umbridge found Aileen's staff pointed right at her, the black lightning gone.

"Do not try to read me before my powers have been fully demonstrated. Although I am an expert in the knowledge of such things, I am not a dark witch. I am not even truly a witch myself."

"I will not stand for this! You will _not_ have a person like this teaching my precious students! _You will not!_" Umbridge shrieked, beginning to throw a tantrum of sorts.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice resonated through the Hall more so than Aileen's did. The whole room was silent, waiting for the next move.

"She is not a dark witch, Dolores. She is merely a teacher who is an expertise in the area of Dark Arts." Dumbledore's voice was firm, indicating that she should stop.

"You won't be so lucky next time," Aileen said, turning and striding out of the Hall. The staff disappeared in a glimmer of light, arousing conversations at all the House tables.

Aileen woke from her dream drenched in a cool sweat. It was the same every night, derived from that cruel memory from long ago.

_It always starts with nothing. Nothing but shadows. Then..._

_Running down an endless hall. Running...running...it never seems to end..._

_The mirrored platform, its face like ice. Voices surround me, faceless images reflecting in the glass, echoing in my mind. All around me, shadows creep around my legs, pulling downward. _

_Suddenly, the platform shatters, breaking into thousands of pieces, sending me spiraling down into oblivion._

That was when she would wake up.

Shaking her head, Aileen flopped back onto her bed and fell asleep.

* * *


	2. Curious Class, Curious Assignment

**Two: Curious Class, Curious Assignment**

In the morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ed sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"What classes did you sign up for, Harry?" Ron asked, biting into a piece of toast.

"The usual. I'd actually rather not take Divination or Potions, but it's the only way I'll be 'well-rounded' when I graduate."

"Well it's true. If you take those classes, it will appeal to people who you might want to work for more than if—"

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah, Ed?"

"Aren't we supposed to be in Transfiguration right now?"

* * *

Aileen was surprised at how well-behaved her classes were. It seemed that her "performance," as the students called it, made them either eager to learn such tactics or afraid she'd use her powers if they made her mad. Even the seventh years were somewhat quiet.

As the next-to-last class of the day filed out, she turned to the window, where she saw it was raining.

Sitting on the window seat in the far corner of the room, she thought of how the rain comforted her, taking her back to her days in her own country…

A cough came from the doorway, shattering the silence and Aileen's trance.

She quickly stood up and turned around. Walking in were the four she had met on the train.

"Oh, I'm sorry…I was daydreaming again…Please take a seat and I'll start as soon as everyone gets here."

Soon the room was full, and Aileen took her place at the front of the room.

"Please be quiet now. It's time to start." She picked up a piece of chalk from the tray on the chalkboard, turning back to the class to begin her lesson for the day. "As you may have seen last night, I did mention that you have all been missing out on the studies of other Dark Arts. One should not focus on merely their own world, as something may happen that is unexpected."

"I swear I've seen her before. She looks so familiar," Ed whispered to himself. "I just don't know where."

"Now, can anyone tell me what a homunculus is?"

Ed's head snapped up. What kind of "dark magic" was she going to be teaching them? How to create a homunculus? He frowned and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Professor, you should actually be calling us by our surnames. And a homunculus is defined as a falsely-made human created by alchemy."

Aileen winced at her explanation. "Not exactly. And I'll call you however I want. I'm the professor, not you."

More murmurs went around the classroom. Shock?

"Settle down, class. Homunculi are fascinating creatures. They're more than just a _falsely-made human_—as you so bluntly put it, Hermione. Homunculi are people, like you and me, but – yes, Edward?"

"Homunculi are evil. Their single purpose is to find the Philosopher's Stone." Of course, Ed was an expert on them.

"But…Harry destroyed the stone four years ago," Hermione said. Didn't everyone know that?

"What?" Both Aileen and Ed had looks of shock on their faces, though Aileen was the first to hide it with innocent ignorance. But after the last student walked out, closing the door, she sank into her plush chair near the fireplace, hope draining from her mind.

"It's _gone_…" Aileen whispered. "I came here for one thing, and it's gone…"

"…and the seven Homunculi that are the most well-known in Amestris are Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath. They are identified by this tattoo called an _Oroborus_. It looks like this," Aileen said. She pointed to the board where she had drawn the figure that morning. "Each has a special talent or unique characteristic. Please research one and give eighteen inches of parchment on the background and basic information of it. I want it on my desk on Thursday. And don't complain – it's an interesting topic. I'm not making you write on the history of goblin wars, now, am I?" Several students nodded, agreeing her class _was_ interesting.

* * *

The days were passing quickly now, and it seemed as through it had not already been a week of classes for Aileen.

Collecting the scraps of parchment from the desks, she began putting her things away for the night.

"Remember me?"

Aileen spun around, startled by the voice behind her.

"Envy!" Aileen smiled. It had been the first time she had smiled in weeks. Since she had left home. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been turned into Lust's messenger. She—"

The door to the room creaked open. Immediately, Envy changed forms.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Professors…If you're busy…"

Aileen shook her head, motioning for Harry to speak.

"I just wanted to ask Aileen to come help us in the Gryffindor tower in a bit with our homework. We have a rather curious assignment that we would like assistance with." It was Harry, and the sight of Umbridge made him rush through his sentences and hurry out, slamming the door behind him.

"Jeez…are these kids really afraid of that old bat?" Envy said, changing back to his normal form.

"Apparently so. The only other person they act like that around is me. And it's all because of my first impression."

"What'd you do this time?" Envy laughed as he ducked, avoiding a blow from Aileen's hand. "And you're going by Aileen now? I thought it was something else. Suteki?"

"No. I changed it again. That stupid ministry group was on my tail, and I didn't need them interfering."

"Anyway, Lust says you only have a little time left."

Aileen smiled again. "Tell her that it's been destroyed, but I know where to find everything. Don't worry. She'll get her stone."

Envy shrugged. "Whatever you say."


	3. Oroborus

**Three: Oroborus**

Later that night, Aileen went to the Gryffindor tower. Being a teacher, she had access to all the common rooms in case of emergency (or, in this case, study sessions), but the portrait that guarded the tower didn't seem convinced.

"You're too young!"

"I don't give a damn, you stupid picture! I'm a teacher!"

Just then, Harry walked up, his arms full with books. "Professor! You came!"

"Of course I did, Harry. Now tell this…_inanimate object…_that I am a teacher and came to help you study!"

"She did," Harry said.

The portrait, though greatly offended, grumbled as she swung on her hinges to open the door to the Gryffindor common room.

Piles of books were everywhere, and there was little sight of students.

"Over here, Harry!"

"Oh, good! You brought Professor Kita!"

Voices came from behind the books. Upon further inspection, Aileen noticed there were actually a number of students crowded around one book on a table.

"Don't call me that. Call me Aileen right now."

"Okay." Reluctant to, the students gave in.

"What's the problem?" Aileen asked, finding a seat on a couch and sitting down.

"Professor Snape is having us create a Philosopher's Stone!"

Aileen's head suddenly snapped upright. "What?"

"He's having us make an imperfect Stone!"

"No, you idiot! He _doesn't_ want an imperfect Stone!"

"In any case, Professor, we need your help." Aileen turned to see Hermione with a large book in her hands. "We have no idea what we're doing. And it's due by the end of the semester."

Aileen laughed. "Is that all you're concerned about? There isn't a way to do it. Sorry, but you're going to have to tell him that it's impossible. I know many who've tried and failed – numerous times. Now, is there anything else or did you drag me out here just so you could complain?" She looked at the dismayed faces, arching an eyebrow. One finally spoke up, remembering another area of study they needed help in.

"We wouldn't complain about an assignment, Professor. We just can't get it done alone. Could help on the homunculi assignment you gave us?"

Aileen smiled. "Now that is a subject I know and can help you on. Fascinating creatures, homunculi…"

Aileen proceeded to tell every bit of information she knew on homunculi, everything else she hadn't mentioned in class, and pretty soon it was getting late.

"…and, as I've said before, the seven homunculi are…?"

"Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath," everyone recited. She had said their names so many times it was easy for them to remember the names of the seven homunculi.

"Isn't it funny how the only homunculi are named after the seven deadly sins?"

Aileen looked up. "Edward! How nice of you to finally join us."

"I finished my other homework."

"Have you heard about Professor Snape's assignment? The one about the Philosopher's Stone?" The words seemed to roll off of Aileen's tongue – taunting. "A curious assignment."

Silence hung in the air as the two stared at each other, neither backing down. "Do I know you?" Ed finally asked, confronting his suspicions.

"Not that I know of."

A few more minutes of silence went by before Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ed decided to turn in for the night.

"Aileen? We're going to bed."

"Oh? Night." Aileen waved to the four and turned back to the second-year student she was helping. She rearranged her skirts, crossing her ankles. She was barefoot again, her shoes discarded back in her room. But on the top of her foot was something that made all four gasp in surprise.

It was an _Oroborus_.


	4. Discoveries and Surprises

**Four: Discoveries and Surprises**

"One more inch. That's all I need."

"One? I still have six! I don't understand any of this!"

"None of us do, Ron."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ed sat at a table in the library, trying to finish their essays that were due within the next two hours.

Ed sighed. "I guess I'll have to add more on the unicorns…there's more information on them then there is on those stupid kelpies."

Within the next half hour, the four had finished their essays, and were grateful for it.

Suddenly, Ed smacked himself on the head. "We are such idiots."

"What? Are you calling us idiots?" Harry asked, tired from all the research he had done in the past five hours.

"What am I an expert in?"

"Alchemy?"

"And what are you experts in?"

"Magic and…oh."

"Yeah."

It had just dawned on the group that they could have written each other's essays for the other—Ed knew all about human transmutation and Hermione knew the most about unicorns and kelpies.

Ed sighed. "Oh, well. We'll have to just keep it in mind for next time this happens."

"Next time?" Ron asked. "There shouldn't be a next time. It was your fault that we got into this mess in the first place! Accusing a teacher of being something that doesn't even exist…"

"Ron…" Harry said, a warning in his voice.

"You and your stupid homunculus thing. We should've never listened to you! You're just a…short, blond foreigner with a bad temper!"

Ed's eye twitched. "Short…?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP?" Ed yelled, jumping up to punch Ron.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him cold in his tracks. "Might I suggest first quieting down then refraining from harming your friend?"

It was Aileen, holding a basket of cookies in one hand, the other outstretched still resting on Ed's shoulder.

"Madame Pince will be furious if she heard this." She tapped Ed on the nose, smiling. Her hands no longer shook, and her eyes were a calming green, though Ed took no notice. He still held his suspicions and wouldn't let go.

Aileen turned and walked out of the library, her black, layered skirt flowing behind her.

He returned his research materials to the shelves and headed towards the exit. Before he reached the door, though, he realized something.

Running up the spiral staircase to the second floor of the library, Ed grabbed the book he had seen earlier.

…_the legendary eighth homunculus. I found it while traveling in the east, in a country called Amestris…it is female in appearance and looks surprisingly like a Veela…_

_Treachery is its name. _

…_no known witch or wizard has ever seen such a creature, wild silver hair glowing like the moon and eerie green eyes that seem so sad. They resemble a cat's, with vertical slits instead of pupils…reflecting not yourself, but something I cannot identify…something vaguely resembling a pair of scales…the scales I later saw held in the creature's hand, balanced perfectly, but shifted suddenly to one side…nothing moved it…it hardly seems possible to move the scales without anything on them…_

…_be wary of her calm demeanor, for it is that with which she tricks people into doing what she wants…surprisingly, she does not seek what the others do. Instead, she seems to retain her human features more so than any I have seen before…her mood changes drastically each moment…friendly one minute, smiling…furious the next, tearing at your throat…I was lucky to escape with my life…_

"AH-HA!" Ed cried, unaware that Madame Pince was standing right behind him. She reached into the stack of books in her hands and whacked him several times, chasing him down the stairs and out of the library, Ed still clutching the book, unknown by the woman with a hand on her hip, the other resting on a stack of books.

* * *

"_Magical Creatures and Where To Find Them Part II: A Wizard's Guide to Recently Discovered Outside Creatures of the Dark Magics?_" Hermione said, flipping through the book. It held information on creatures even she didn't know existed. 

"Yeah! It has all this information on homunculi! I even found an entry that sounds like they're talking about Aileen! Look!" Ed whispered, pointing to a section called "_The Eight Homunculus: Fact or Fiction?_"

Hermione read it over once. "I don't know. It does sound like Professor Kita, but I don't think Ron would let me do this. It goes against my own morals as well."

"Fine," Ed huffed. "I'll do it myself."

* * *

"Professor Kita?" Ed called, unsure if she was there or not. 

"Oh, Edward. Have you finished your essay for me?" She held a vial of a reddish liquid. Where she got it, Ed didn't know. Nor did he care.

Ed frowned. "Enough of the chit-chat. I know you're a homunculus, _Treachery_. I saw your _Oroborus_ and there's a description of you right here in this book. I didn't imagine it that night."

Aileen took a long look at the chapter on homunculi. Students began walking in from lunch.

"So sorry, Edward. Maybe we can do lunch sometime?" Aileen said, pushing Ed out the door.

"Hey! My book!" Ed said, but his voice was lost in the sea of students entering the classroom. He backed away, stumbling out into the gardens. It was all he could do from getting crushed.

Ed returned to the Gryffindor tower, where he pulled out his research notes. A whole class period passed before he realized what he had missed. The red liquid.

The stone.

"Damn!"


	5. Treachery

I've had this written for a while and keep forgetting to post it. Sorry!

** Five: Treachery**

On the mountains adjacent to Hogwarts, there was a forest. Currently, there were three people concealed within the thick trunks and leafy branches. But no one knew if they were even real people at all.

"Here's the stone, Lust," Aileen said, holding the crimson stone out. It was fairly small, but Lust didn't seem to mind.

"You're sure this is the real thing?" she asked, examining it in the light streaming through the forest canopy.

"As real as my _Oroborus_." Aileen gave a small smile that seemed to hide something.

"Good." The stone began to glow. A red, crackly light began to issue from the stone, surrounding Lust. "Finally…" But before she could finish her sentence, the red light transformed into a purple glow that sparked around Lust's body. In a flash of light, both Lust and the stone were gone.

Envy frowned, eyes flashing to Aileen, who was unperturbed by Lust's disappearance.

"What did you do to her?"

"It was an imperfect stone," Aileen laughed. "I wanted her off my back. She's gone far away from here." She stopped laughing, suddenly. Her eyes grew wide with shock. "I…what have I done?" She picked up the set of scales she had set on the ground, voice cracking. "They're uneven…evil…"

Envy shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. She's gone."

"But…I…killed her!"

Now, it was Envy who was laughing. "Killed her? It's like you said – more like _helped_ her. Now she doesn't have to worry about trying to be human. She's probably happier now."

Aileen shut her eyes. "Why can't we just stay like this?" she suddenly asked in a low voice.

"What?"

"We're ageless! In our real forms we can never die! If we find the Stone, then what? We'd just die anyways!" Aileen fell to her knees, tears running down her face.

Envy put a hand on Aileen's shoulder. "I don't want to become human. That was Lust. I don't even remember why she did in the first place. Now come on. We have to get back to the castle." He held out a hand for Aileen, who took it and stood up, brushing tears from her face.

Back at the castle, Aileen pulled a key from her belt and opened the classroom door. A voice made them stop dead in their tracks.

"Miss me?"


	6. Truths

**Six: Truths**

"Miss me?"

"Edward!"

Ed was sitting on the table at the front of the classroom, where he had pushed all her parchments off the desk, leaving them scattered on the floor.

"You're the eighth homunculus, aren't you?"

"Did you just realize that?" Envy stepped up beside Aileen.

"No. I just didn't have time to ask her. And when I did, she denied it." Ed paused, recognition setting in. "Wait. Why are you here?"

"I've been watching everyone. It was easy to get those little kids to try and make the stone for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I know." A voice came from the door.

"Must we reveal secrets to everyone today?" Envy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"You've bewitched Professor Snape into a mindless slave who will listen to only you!" Ron said, stepping forward.

Envy burst out laughing, unable to control himself. "Bewitched?"

"Ron!" Hermione smacked him on the head. "That's totally out of line! We don't even know who she is!"

Envy stopped laughing. "She…?"

Aileen hid a smile behind her hand. "Envy's a guy, Hermione."

Hermione blushed. "But…what kind of guy goes around wearing a skirt and has long, green hair?"

"Envy." Said homunculus was furious, trying to hold back his anger.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter what you did. It's that it was you who made Snape act all weird. He kept taking away points from the Slytherins! Snape loves those brats as much as he does the Dark Arts!" Ron pointed an accusing finger at Envy.

"Actually, that wasn't even him. Was it, Envy?" Aileen said, her gaze shifting to Envy's already changing form.

"Look familiar?" Envy had taken on the form of Snape, and sounded exactly like him.

"Told you," Aileen said.

"So that's why he—I mean you seemed to hate Slytherins! He—you—wasn't—weren't—really you…" Harry smacked his forehead. "This is a grammatical nightmare…"

"But…Professor Kita!" Hermione turned to Aileen with pleading eyes. "Don't say you're really what Ed thinks you are!"

"If he says she's a homunculus, he'd be right. This is Treachery, the eighth of the homunculus," Envy said, changing back to his normal shape and gesturing to Aileen.

"She's got different personalities, evil and good, and you can tell by those scales where she is," Ed finished, pointing to the scales in Aileen's hand. "I read about her in that book I checked out. The one she confiscated."

"Then you're an expert on her."

"Not exactly. Since she's the 'unknown' homunculus, no one has real information on her."

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!" Aileen cried, her face twisted in fury. "I'm a person!"

"No. You aren't. You're nothing but what Hermione said—a falsely-made human."

Aileen choked back tears when he said that. It seemed like whenever someone called them fake, she reacted in a way that she could not stop.

A clap came from where Ed stood, and Aileen found herself dodging a blow from his transmutated arm.

Lifting his arm again, he came back around. Aileen lifted her arms to try to block his attack. Envy was suddenly in front of her, blocking Ed with a sword.

"Thanks…" Aileen managed to get out. Envy nodded and handed the sword to her, and she took off, running to the tower down the hall. The scales lay abandoned on her desk, where Edward had sat but moments before.

"I'm going to kill you," Ed muttered as he ran after the fleeing homunculus. "It's only a matter of time."

* * *

Up on the tower, Aileen continues evading Ed's attacks. Soon, Ed transmutated his arm back to normal, clapping his hands together before transmutating the stone on the floor.

The tower shook once, then the walls surrounding them suddenly became flat. A larger diameter, yes, but a dangerous situation, for the chance of falling was more than being killed by Ed. The edges were no longer protected.

"I'll ask once more, Treachery. I've seen you before. I know I have. Where was it?" Ed asked, backing up a bit.

Aileen sighed. "I guess it'd get out sooner or later. I think you were around twelve years old. It was at Central. You were there getting your license, and I was there to find information on the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed's eyes widened. "That was you?"


	7. End of a Dream

**Seven: End of a Dream**

"Yes, that was me," Aileen said, staring off into the sky. "I narrowly escaped, and when I did, Colonel Mustang caught me."

"Funny, he never mentioned that to me."

"He probably wouldn't have. He only let me go because I was younger and looked so harmless."

"Wait…you aren't the age you told us, then?" Ed questioned, lowering his auto-mail arm.

"No. I am actually as ageless as any homunculus. I am one. I was created by someone that I despise for doing so."

"Why exactly were you there? Other than looking for the Philosopher's Stone, that is?"

"Lust sent me. I had just met up with her and was a bit lost. She told me that finding information on it would help me figure out my past and what I had to do to become a true human. Once I found out about its secrets, however, I took back ever wanting to become human. I wished to stay ageless, no matter how much Lust didn't."

"So how'd you end up caught by Mustang?"

Aileen's eyes fell upon Ed's. "I was careless. I can hide myself in the shadows if I wish, but only if I concentrate. My control is better, now that I've honed my powers."

"So he caught you. Then what?"

"He pinned me to the wall, a knife against my throat. I was barefoot – my _Oroborus_ in plain view. I didn't know what it meant then. He tried to kill me, but couldn't when he saw my eyes."

Ed knew what she was talking about – her eyes were mesmerizing. He shook his head to clear his mind. He didn't want to fall for any more tricks. "But why did you go looking for information there?"

"Because I didn't know what was going on! I was attacked! I didn't know much of anything at that time. Lust and Envy showed me what to do. They showed me the true meaning of being a homunculus. And—"

"As much as I'd love to hear the story of your life, I've heard enough of that kind of thing from Hughes." Ed suddenly sprang forward, landing a rather solid blow on Aileen's sword. She pushed all her weight into it, driving Ed back a few feet, but seemingly not enough.

Relentlessly, Ed drove Aileen to the edge of the tower, cornering her just as Envy arrived.

"Treachery!" Envy yelled, running toward the two.

"Too late," Ed muttered as he hit Aileen one last time, her limbs buckling beneath her. He pushed her off completely, stepping back to make sure his footing was solid and he didn't follow her down. Envy stopped moving, shocked, as he watched the silver-haired homunculus fall toward the glittering water.

* * *

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, making it feel almost as if she wasn't falling at all. 

_Is it over?_

_No._

_It's just begun._

She was drifting into a dream-like trance she knew she wouldn't wake from. Quickly, she took the sword Envy had given her and hurled it back at the tower. Ed, who had turned back to Envy, was struck in the shoulder by the blade, the steel burying itself in his flesh. The blond alchemist fell forward on his knees, blood flowing down his shirt.

Below, Aileen splashed into the lake surrounding the castle. She floated down into the depths, all the while smiling softly. Her silver hair floated around her as she closed her green eyes once more.

* * *

Back on the tower, Envy was fuming. 

"Edward, you…" Envy wasn't able to finish his sentence. Taking a hold of the sword's handle, he roughly ripped it from Ed's shoulder, causing the blonde to cry out in pain, blood running from the wound down his black shirt.

"You're lucky, Fullmetal," Envy hissed, turning to head back down the stairs. His anger was at a dangerous level. He knew he had to leave, that there was no time or way to find Treachery. He disappeared into the castle, unknown even to the trio waiting below the tower.

"I…I'm actually kinda sorry, Aileen…but you were a homunculus and all…and…" Ed's vision swam with colors. He quickly fell into a state of unconsciousness, blood flowing freely from his new wound, leaving him on the broken tower alone.


	8. Ready? Start Again

**Eight: Ready? Start Again.  
**

"What…what is it?"

"I don't know…"

"Is it a girl?"

"With silver hair?"

"You never know. We have a lot of strange things going on out here…"

"Yeah, like those owls flying by in the day…"

"Can you reach it?"

"Why?"

"I'm curious, that's why."

Two men pulled a silver-haired girl from the icy river, unsure of where she had come from or why.

With no further questions asked, they decided to take her to the village. What they would do then was undecided - they would let Aya tell her story.

_**Four years later**_

Gazing up at the sunny sky, Ai seemed to remember something. It wasn't much, but it was something. A flicker, like a candle, then quickly lost in the shadows of her mind.

Memory lost, she woke up in the village of Tatiato and was welcomed, though it took quite a while for her to learn the language. She was an able-bodied person who seemed quite adept at any type of work and never seemed to complain. She was given the name Ai because that's the only part of her name that she could remember.

"Mother, what's that castle?" she asked her foster mother, pointing to the castle on the other side of the lake.

"None of us know for sure. That's where all the owls come from." She never gave a straight answer. But Ai was determined to find out its secret some day, no matter what it took.

One of her foster-sisters, Lis, had called her over to the forest where they were picking the plants that were used as spices for foods. Picking up a basket, she hurried over and plucked several sprigs of what the village called rosemary and put it in her basket. Surveying the trees, she saw a strange plant.

It was growing at eye-level and was a dark green. Ai tugged on it and it did not move. Instead, a person emerged from behind the tree. He had dark green hair and had a strange tattoo on his leg that looked surprisingly like Ai's. Her eyes widened and she dropped the basked, its contents spilling on the ground. Memories came flooding back in flashes, initiated by the purple cat-like eyes staring at her from under that stream of emerald black she used to play with, sitting by the river, talking, right up until her arrival to Hogwarts.

"Envy?" she whispered, hand reaching out to the homunculus.

Envy smiled. "Miss me, Treachery?"

_owari_


End file.
